Episode #42: 6 Tips to stay consistent with exercise over the holidays
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In today’s episode, Rhonda responds to a question she received about staying consistent with exercise over the holidays. It’s a busy time of year and there’s only so much we can have on our plates right now. If exercise isn’t your top priority this time of year, that’s ok! But if you’d like it to still be a part of your week because you know it will help you feel better, have a listen to this episode. You might find these tips helpful!
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LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE:
🔹 Follow Rhonda on Instagram
🔹 Strong at Home Summer and Winter workout PDFs
🔹 Strong at Home Membership
SHOW NOTES:
(0:49): Episode intro
(01:10): It’s ok if exercise isn’t your top priority over the holidays
(01:44): Question: how can I stay consistent with exercise over the holidays?
(02:34): Tip #1 - Change your definition of consistency
(04:54): Tip #2 - Remind yourself that all movement counts
(05:47): Tip #3 - Ditch the all or nothing mindset
(07:38): Tip # 4 - Minimize barriers to getting your workout in
(12:10): Tip #5 - Have a plan
(16:06): Tip #6 - Re-examine your “why” with exercise
(20:01): Summary of all 6 tips
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Episode #42: 6 tips to stay consistent with exercise over the holidays (or other busy times)
We're excited to have you join us for this episode of Pelvic Health and Fitness. I'm Dayna Morellato, Mom, Orthopedic and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. And I'm Rhonda Chamberlain, Mom, Orthopedic Physiotherapist and Pre Postnatal Fitness Coach. On this show, we have open and honest conversations about all phases of motherhood, including fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, menopause, and everything in between.
We also provide helpful education and information on fitness, the pelvic floor, and many aspects of women's health, including physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Please remember as you listen to this podcast that this is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical conditions. Please contact your medical provider if you have specific questions or concerns.
Thanks so much for joining us. Grab a cup of coffee. Or wine. And enjoy!
Hey podcast friends and welcome back to another episode of the pelvic health and fitness podcast run here and today I'm going to be doing a solo episode talking about and sharing six tips to stay consistent with exercise over the holidays.
And I will say right off the bat. And I talk about this all the time that we're going to go through phases in our life where exercise might not be our top priority. And that is a okay. I will fully admit personally, I often have exercise on kind of the back burner during the holidays. I like to try to be present with my family and I might not consistently work out as much as I normally would.
And we'll kind of get into that a bit more today. So yes, right off the bat, if you just decide you don't want to work out over the holidays, then that is a okay. Um, but I did have this question come in from somebody that said, you know, I know I don't have to work out over the holidays, but I do find I feel so much better.
Um, if I do have consistency with my movement and so how can I, how can I stay consistent with exercise over the holidays? So I sort of jotted down six things that came to mind. Um, I shared this on, in my email, uh, last week as well. So I figured I'd do an episode to kind of elaborate a little further. Um, so yes, first of all, first of all, um, it is a busy time of year.
So again, if it doesn't, um, fit into your schedule, then don't stress about it. That's number one. Um, but here are six tips to, if you do want to have exercise, be part of your life during the holidays. Here are my six tips. So the first one is. Maybe we need to change our definition of consistency. So, you know, I'm personally someone that likes to work out two, three times a week, um, doing strength training workouts, and then maybe I'll do like three or four walks in a week.
That's sort of my normal quote unquote. Um, but I, again, like I said, during the holidays, consistent to me during the holidays, if I get You know, one workout in, um, in those maybe two week chunks of holiday time, um, or two, you know, one a week or two total, then I'm actually pretty happy and I'm patting myself on the back for that.
Um, again, maybe if I get out for a couple walks, I'm happy about that. So my definition of consistency over the holidays is just different. I just know that I'm busy doing other things. I'm getting together with friends and family and fitting exercise into that schedule just isn't always easy and realistic.
Um, I also remind clients to zoom out when it comes to consistency. So again, like I said, you know, typically for me, During most weeks, I'm able to fit in two or three workouts a week, plus a couple of walks. And so then if I take the holidays off from working out and I just don't work out at all, if I zoom out across six months to a year, my consistent, my consistent, that's a hard word.
My consistency level is actually really good, right? Because yeah, if I take those two weeks out, but I've been consistently working out. one to two to three days a week throughout the rest of the year, then I'm doing pretty good. And so I always remind clients, you know, celebrate every small win. So when you have a week where you got three workouts in and you're feeling really good, then make sure you pat yourself on the back during those moments.
And remember that, um, When you do have weeks like Christmas, you know, kids get sick, you get sick, and your consistency takes a nosedive, remind yourself that you're doing great. Okay. And like, you don't, again, consistency does not equal, does not have to equal perfection. You don't have to be perfect to be consistent with exercise.
So changing that definition is number one. Number two, um, I talk about this all the time. Remind yourself that all movement counts. This is a big one during the holidays because again, we're busy, we're playing with our kids maybe more, we're outside potentially with them more, um, we are just busy around the house, so we don't necessarily only have to count Structured exercise as exercise, um, all movement counts.
So, you know, if you get out for a couple of walks during the holidays, if we're able to do just some stretching, um, all of that counts. So, you know, again, there's a time and a place to get back to those structured workouts, but maybe during the holidays, you just take that pressure off. You take that decision fatigue out of the mix and you just decide not to do any structured workouts.
And that is okay. All movement counts. Number three, and you know, all know I love this one if you've been following me for a length of time. This is the time to ditch the all or nothing mindset. So our time is already limited, limited during the holidays. And so adding that pressure on ourselves to, you know, get those workouts in, especially a long workout in just might not be realistic.
So just remind yourself that 10 minutes of movement counts. Um, one trick I like to do, I use this often. In those early postpartum phases, when I maybe only had small windows of time, when my kids would be napping, for example, I would put a timer on my phone and get out my phone timer, put 10 minutes on there.
I'd pick three to four movements. Uh, so for example, like 10 squats, 10 lunges, 10 modified pushups. So a pushup on like a countertop, for example, and maybe 10 step ups just to get your heart rate up a little bit. So do 10 of each movement. As many rounds as you can at a steady pace that feels good for you in that 10 minute time and just see what you get done and have that be okay.
And again, celebrate that, right? 10 minutes of movement counts. Um, drop that all or nothing mindset. It doesn't need to be black or white. Um, also bonus points. If in that 10 minute chunk of time, or you give yourself two or three extra minutes, do some pelvic floor relaxation, some hip mobility. Um, I have a really awesome free guide.
Uh, talking about pelvic floor relaxation on my website that you can download that has a whole host of different mobility exercises you can do. So download that you can do that. Um, again, all movement counts and it doesn't need to be all or nothing. So give yourself that 10 minute timer. And just see what you can do.
Just move your body. All right. Number four, minimize barriers to getting your workout in. So this is a big one for me. I talk about this all the time as well. Um, just trying to make sure that you have systems in place. To get those workouts done if it is important to you. So a few that really work for me and my clients, number one is to have your workout gear in plain sight.
So you can all see on Instagram, I have my little basement set up for my workouts where I have my yoga mat out all the time. I have my dumbbells laid out. Um, you know, it's not maybe the most aesthetically pleasing. Um, I personally, you know, it's more important for me to get my movement in than it is to have like a beautiful basement all the time.
If it has my workout. equipment. That's okay for me. Um, so if you have a small, you know, a small space in your house that you can just leave that equipment out as that reminder, like, Oh yes, I need to do my workout. Um, and just to take away that barrier. Cause we all know that feeling of, okay, I'm going to do a workout.
I'm like, Oh, I have to go find my dumbbells. Where are they? I have to bring them up from the basin. Like that's super annoying. So take that out of the equation and just have them out. Uh, number two, this is one I learned from Jessie Mundell way back, probably two years ago, three years ago. Don't change into workout clothes, and this is something, honestly, I still follow to this day.
Very rarely do I get changed, unless it's the heat of the summer, then I might get changed, but even still, I might not. Um, just do your workout in whatever you have in, so have on. So like, you know, this sweater, I, after I record this podcast, I'm going to, I'm wearing a sweater right now. I'm going to go do a workout and be okay with being extra sweaty.
And, you know, maybe I'll change afterwards. Maybe not. I'll just be okay with being sweaty afterwards as well. Um, just do the workout and whatever you have on. Clients, you know, uh, comment in true coach all the time that they did their workout in their PJs. And I love that so much. So decrease that barrier.
Cause again, just picturing that. So you, you know, you're sitting on the couch. You're like, okay, I need to get my workout in just the thought of like, Oh, I have to go all the way upstairs. I have to get changed. I have to put on a sports bra, which is super annoying. Um, and then get my workout in. So sometimes it's enough to be like, I'm just not going to do it.
That's too annoying. So. Do it in whatever you have on. It always counts. Um, and then the last one is, so I, I tried, especially in those early postpartum, uh, times to get my workouts in when my kids were napping. I preferred that. Um, but it gets to a phase and, you know, I'm not in a phase where my kids nap anymore.
So you do go through phases where it's just not possible to get your workouts in when kids are napping. So just get used to the distraction of having kids around and making your workouts happen, even if they're not perfect. Um, this is something I have to do often now, if, you know, if the kids are sick and I want to get a workout in.
And, you know, I just have things ready for them. So I have snacks at the ready. I have their iPads ready, the TV ready. Um, and just get used to letting them know that this is important to mommy. You know, mommy really appreciates working out to feel good. And so, you know, if you have a question, I can help you after the workout.
Um, and I think that's important for our kids to hear that, you know, we're taking care of ourselves. This is important and yes, your needs matter, but I can get back to you when mommy's done her workout. So that's something I'm still working on. I'm getting so much better at it. And my kids love actually joining in on my workouts now, which again, sometimes can be annoying because you just want to get it done.
Um, so. But just expect that there's going to be interruptions. Expect that you're going to have to break your workout into chunks. Um, you know, in a strong at home membership, I purposely do this. I have different sections of the workout so clients can complete the warmup and then maybe come back to the rest of it when they can.
Um, it doesn't have to be continuous and that still counts, right? So don't. Again, put this pressure on ourselves for our workouts to have to be perfect to count. If you do, you know, five minutes here, five minutes, a couple hours later, it all counts and it all matters. So don't stress yourself out about that.
Um, so those are just some barriers that we can try to minimize to get our workout in. All right. Number five is try to have a plan in place. So a large part of trying to stay consistent with exercise is just having no clue what to do. So I will say, you know, I do this for a living. I have programmed workouts for a living as a physiotherapist for like over 10 years now.
And in those early postpartum phases, the decision fatigue was real. And just trying to come up with workouts when I already was sleep deprived and Had so much on my brain as a new mom, it was paralyzing. So, you know, for a good chunk of time, I just didn't work out because the thought, you know, the idea of trying to come up with exercises, um, was just annoying and I just didn't want to do it.
And so personally, the strong at home membership came from my personal journey of creating workouts for myself that then I shared with other people and that grew into what is my strong at home membership today. So yes, if you can have some kind of plan. In place to just, you know, as soon as you have that moment of free time that, you know, you can get a workout in, if you just have something ready for you, honestly, it makes the world of a difference.
So a couple of things. Um, so free option is if you head to my Instagram page, So run at Rhonda Chamberlain PT, I have a highlight. So in on the profile, you can see the little highlight bubbles. I have one that's workouts and it's all the free workouts I have posted over the past, I think, three years. So I don't even know how many is up there now.
It would definitely, it would definitely last you through the holidays. There's probably like 30 workouts there, so you won't definitely get through all of them, but, um, check that out. That's a free option. Um, I just released and, um, talked about, I have a PDF called strong at home winter, um, filled with six weeks of workouts you can do at home, um, over the holidays using only dumbbells.
So that is for 25. Um, if you check out, uh, RhondaChamberlainpt. com. forward slash strong at home winter. You can check that out. Um, I also have a strong at home summer that I had released back in the summer, same thing, six weeks of workouts, different than the winter ones. So you can purchase both of those on my website, um, for 25.
So that's an option to a nice low cost option. To have a plan so you don't have to come up with workouts on your own. Um, of course, you know, I've mentioned in this episode already, I have my strong at home membership that is a higher cost, higher cost option, but it would save you from that planning and it would have that support system from me, that encouragement from me to move your body and feel really good.
build some strength, um, get back some confidence in your body. So my strong at home membership is 159 a month as a recurring payment. Um, and I would love to have you if you are interested. So for that, if you go to my website, Rhondachamberlainpt. com. Forward slash strong at home membership. You can learn all about it, or you can reach out to me if you have any questions.
Um, and then otherwise free options. Of course, there's lots of free options out in the world. Um, you know, if you have a plan in mind that after dinner, a few times throughout the week, over the holidays, you're going to go for a family walk. That would be an awesome thing to plan. Dance parties are a favorite of mine in the house.
I mean, me and my girls, maybe not so much Jay, but my girls and I love to have dance parties. So, you know, again, it's, it sounds like you don't need to plan these things, but if you, you know, a couple of days a week, you tell your kids, we're going to have a dance party after dinner, you know, Fridays and Saturdays or something.
Right. And just have fun. That fun dance party, get your bodies moving. They have fun, you have fun, you get a little sweat. All movement counts. It doesn't need to be all or nothing. So that's a fun little one that you can do for free. Okay, the last tip we have is re examine your why with exercise. So this is something I talk about all the time.
I think it's a big one and I think it's an important one because You know, I talk about this all the time that we've been led to believe that the soul and most important purpose of exercise is to, you know, maintain our body size, shrink our body size, look a certain way, fit a certain body type. Um, all, and a lot of that is in the name of health, quote unquote, you know, we've been led to believe that a healthy body is a thin lean body.
But the more learning and unlearning I do, I fully understand that you can 100 be 100% Be healthy in a larger body, you know, our body size is made up of so many different factors, much of that is our genetics. So if we move our body and we, you know, try to eat relatively healthy, getting a variety of foods, um, and our body size doesn't change.
We don't lose weight. That doesn't mean we haven't gained certain health attributes. So, um, trying to focus on less on. using exercise as a means to lose weight and shrink our bodies. How else can we see exercise? So what otherwise can we have with exercise? So like I know for me, I really just want to stay feeling strong, um, and healthy and vibrant and energetic.
Um, I want to be able to keep up with my kids. I want to be able to play with my kids, get down on the floor with them. I want to do activities with them. I want to play outside with them. I want to go for walks and I want to feel really good doing all those things into old age, whatever age that is for me.
I just want to keep moving for life. Um, so I think having sort of those bigger whys, um, and not just always narrowing in on the weight loss. That truly helps and that's what really helps us drop that all or nothing mindset too, because we can recognize that even small doses of exercise are going to get towards those goals of just feeling much better, having more energy, feeling less stiff and aches and pains, that's a big one too.
That's a big one. So even if you know, a homework piece for you might be pull out a journal or get out your notes section on your phone and just jot down anything that comes to mind of why you want exercise to be a part of your life. Um, and I challenged one of them to not be weight loss. And again, I'm not, saying, you know, if you're someone that wants to lose weight, that is not a bad thing.
And I don't think you need to, again, ignore that and completely take it off the table, but I'm challenging you to look outside of that and see if you can write other reasons other than weight loss, um, and try to focus on those. And if weight loss happens as a byproduct, that's cool, but understand that it might not.
And you are still You know, gaining health and you're still achieving all these things that you want to achieve, even if weight loss doesn't happen. So as you can tell, very passionate about that one. And I think that is something many of us struggle with. Um, we live in a society that praises thin bodies above all.
And so it's a lot of unlearning. I've, you know, been through my own journey with this one. So if you have, you know, if you want to talk to somebody about this, I would love to chat further with you. on this one. It's a big one for me. Um, I also have a lot of amazing contacts that are non diet dietitians that also talk about this in terms of food.
So this is a big one. So yeah, so that is our six things of, uh, six ways to try to stay consistent with exercise over the holidays. So let me just review them. So our first one was change your definition of consistency. Remind yourself that consistent during the holidays might be one or two workouts, might be a couple walks, instead of, you know, your normal three to four workouts, for example.
Number two, remind yourself that all movement counts. So going out for walks, doing some stretching, that all counts as exercise. Number three is ditch that all or nothing mindset. 10 minutes of movement absolutely counts. Number four, minimize those barriers. So get rid of anything that's in your way of getting those workouts in.
Number five, have a plan. And I gave you a bunch of options there. And then number six, re examining your why, writing down multiple reasons why you want exercise to be a part of your life. Other than weight loss. All right. So I think that is it. Um, all my notes are checked off. So I love talking about all of these things.
So, um, let me know if this episode was helpful for you. I'd love for you to reach out to me on Instagram at Rhonda Chamberlain PT. Um, yeah. And just let me know if this was helpful. Thanks so much for listening as always. And I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for listening to today's podcast.
We hope you enjoyed the conversation. If you liked what you heard, we would love if you could share this with a friend, leave us a review, or subscribe to anywhere that you listen to your podcasts. Thanks for being here.
